Extension supporting roller drawer guide



Jan. 3, 1939. M. H. HARVMON I 2,142,398 I EXTENSION SUPPORTING ROLLERDRAWER GUIDE Filed Sept. 18, 1937 Patented Jan. 3, 1939 iJNlTED STATESPATENT OFFICE Melvin H. Harmon, High Point, N. Application September 18,1937, Serial No. 164,583

3 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in extensibleroller drawer guides.

The primary object of this invention is to provide an extensible rollerdrawer guide which is intended to be positioned beneath a drawer forsupporting and guiding the same during its travel into and out of itscompartment. It is to be understood that one of these drawer guidingunits will be suficient for drawers of reasonable size and that two ormore guiding units may be employed for larger drawers for bettercarrying the greater weight and for more easily and smoothly guidingsuch larger drawers.

A further object of the invention is to provide an extensible supportingroller drawer guide which is fixedly secured to the frame of the pieceof furniture equipped with the drawer and is readily detachablyconnected to the drawer with the result that the drawer may be easilyseparated from 20, the supporting and guiding device upon completeoutward movement of the traveling guide elements relative to the fixedguide element.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent duringthe course of the following description.

25 In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification andin which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughoutthe same:

Figure l is a vertical sectional view through a fragmentary portion of apiece of wooden furniture with a drawer positioned in a compartmentthereof and supported and guided by one of the roller drawer guidedevices embodying this invention;

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Figure l;and

Figure 4 is a perspective View, with parts broken away, of theextensible supporting roller drawer guide device embodying thisinvention.

In the drawing, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown thepreferred embodiment of this invention, and referring particularly toFigure 1, there is shown in vertical section a fragmentary portion of apiece of furniture having a drawer compartment 5 provided with a rearwall 6, a top wall I, and a bottom wall 8. These walls, of course, maybe of any desired type of construction, but in the piece of furnitureillustrated, the top and bottom walls are formed of frames withdustproofing plies Ill suitably mounted in the same frames. The drawerll associated with the drawer compartment 5 for movement inwardly andoutwardly thereof is provided with a front wall l2, a rear wall I3, anda bottom wall [4.

The drawer l I has associated therewith a roller drawer guide which-isintended to completely support the drawer on the lower frame 9 of thebottom wall 8 and to function as the sole guiding means for this drawerduring its movement into and out of the compartment 5. This rollerdrawer guide device is extensible for that purpose and, therefore,consists of two relatively movable or slidable portions. This extensiblesupporting roller drawer guide device is best illustrated in detail inFigures 2, 3, and 4 and will be described with reference thereto.

The bottom part of the guide structure is of channel formation andconsists of the bottom wall l5, the perpendicularly extending side wallsl5 and H, and the laterally inwardly directed top edge flanges 18. Thebottom wall I5 is of greater length than the side Walls 16 and Il toprovide extensions l9 at the front and rear ends of the device. Thefront extension I9 is fastened to the frame 9 of the bottom wall 8 bymeans of a screw, or the like, 20. The rear extension IQ is secured tothe frame 9 of the bottom wall 8 by means of a screw, or the like, 2|.It will be seen, therefore, that the lower channel shaped guide memberis fixedly secured to the framework of the piece of furniture whichdefines the lower wall of the drawer compartment with which the draweris associated. By inspecting Figure 4, it will be noted that the topflanges l8 terminate short of the front ends of the side walls l5 and Hto provide spaces or interruptions in these flanges, which aredesignated by the reference character 22.

Figures 1, 2, and 4 disclose an ear or lug 23 as being struck from andbent inwardly of the side wall ll. This inwardly struck ear or lug 23functions as a stop for the rollers carried by the inner end portion ofthe movable drawer guide part, as will be described at a later point.

Figure 2 discloses a substantially UJ-shaped bracket 24 which issuitably welded or riveted to the bottom wall l5 adjacent the front endof the same. The side arms l5 of this bracket 24 act as bearings for ashaft 25 which supports at its outer ends the front rollers 25. Theserollers are positioned in such a manner as to proj ect through thespaces or interruptions 22 formed in the top wall flanges 18 so that theperipheries of these rollers will be arranged above the top surfaces ofthe flanges 18.

The movable part of this drawer guide is formed of inverted channelshape in transverse section and includes the top wall 21 with thedepending side walls 28. Figure 4 discloses a laterally projeoting lug29 which is carried by the top wall 21. This lug is cut from the frontend portion of the left-hand side wall 28, as best illustrated in Figure2.

It will be noted that this top movable guide part fits over the bottomfixed guide part and is capable of sliding movement relative to saidbottom part. For the purpose of holding the top movable part againstvertical separation from the bottom part, an angularly shaped lug 30 isstruck from the top wall 21 and is bent into a depending offsetposition. The shape and location of this angular lug 30 adapt the sameto extend beneath the left-hand flange l8 of the bottom part, or theflange I8 carried by the upper edge of the side wall Hi. This lug 30slides along this flange l8 during movement of the top part of the guiderelative to the bottom part.

For the purpose of detachably securing the drawer H to the top part ofthe guide device, a block 3! is adhesively secured to the bottom wall 34of the drawer. This block is arranged so as to bear against thelaterally projecting ear or lug 29, as shown in Figure 2. This block 3!and lug 29 prevent the drawer from being pulled outwardly relative tothe top part of the guide. To prevent the drawer from being pushedinwardly independently of the top part of the guide, a lug or ear 32 isstruck upwardly from the rear end portion of the top 27 of the upperguide part. To prevent lateral movement of the drawer relative to theguiding device, a pin 33, of any desired type, is intended to dependfrom the bottom wall E4 of the drawer and to be removably receivedwithin the aperture 34 formed in the front end portion of the upperguide part.

Figures 1 and 3 disclose an inverted, substantially U-shaped bracket 35which is suitably welded or riveted to the inner surface of the top wall27 of the upper guide part. The depending arms or sides of this U-shapedbracket act as bearings for the shaft 36 which has journaled at itsopposite ends the rollers 37. These rollers are positioned between thebottom wall I5 and the flanges Id of the lower fixed guide part.

By inspecting the several figures, it will be seen that the drawer H maybe easily and smoothly rolled into and out of the drawer compartment 5.The front rollers 26 will at all times bear against the under surface ofthe top wall 21 of the upper guide part. The rear rollers 31 will bearagainst either the inner surface of the bottom wall l5 of the lowerguide part of the inner surfaces of the flanges i 8, depending on whichway the drawer is balanced relative to the front rollers 26. It will beappreciated that during substantially the first half of the outwardmovement of the drawer, the latter will be balanced or tipped downwardlyat its rear about the front roller 26 as a fulcrum. After the drawer hasbeen moved outwardly of the compartment 5 so that its front portion isoverbalanccd relative to the rear portion, the rear of the drawer willmove upwardly until the rollers 3'! bear against the flanges It, Therollers will travel over these flanges during the remainder of theoutward movement of the drawer. The inwardly struck lug or ear 23 willengage one of the rear rollers 3? to limit outward movement of thedrawer and the upper guide part.

When the drawer is moved outwardly until a rear roller 3? engages theinwardly struck lug or ear 23, the drawer may be lifted from the upperguide part to remove the pin 33 from the aperture 3d, the block 3i fromthe laterally projecting lug 29, and the rear wall l3 of the drawer outof engagement with the upwardly struck lug 33. This separation of thedrawer from the guide structure may be readily accomplished. The drawermay also be very readily returned to its connected condition withreference to the upper guide part when it is desired to return thedrawer to the compartment 5. Although the extensible supporting drawerguide illustrated and described herein includes the use of rollers, itis to be understood that such rollers can be dispensed with and that thedevice will still operate very efficiently and effectively to supportand guide a drawer during its movement into and out of its drawercompartment.

It is to be understood that the form of thls invention herewith shownand described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and thatvarious changes in the shape, size, and arrangement of parts may beresorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or thescope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

1. In a drawer construction, means for providing a drawer receivingcompartment and including a bottom wall therefor, a channel-shaped guidepart fixedly secured to said bottom wall and having inwardly directedtop edge flanges interrupted at one end, rollers journaled on the frontportion of said guide part and projecting partially thereabove throughthe interruptions in said flanges, an inverted channel-shaped guide partfitted over the fixed guide part and bearing on said rollers, rollersjournaled on the rear portion of said inverted guide part and engageablewith the bottom and the flanges of the fixed guide part, a drawer forthe compartment, and means for supporting the drawer on said invertedguide part.

2. In a drawer construction, means for providing a drawer receivingcompartment and including a bottom wall therefor, a channel-shaped guidepart fixedly secured to said bottom Wall and having inwardly directedtop edge flanges interrupted at one end, rollers journaled on the frontportion of said guide part and projecting partially thereabove throughthe interruptions in said flanges, an inverted channel-shaped guide partfitted over the fixed guide part with the sides of both parts closelypositioned, rollers journaled on the rear portion of said inverted guidepart and engageable with the bottom and the flanges of the fixed guidepart, a drawer for the compartment, and means for detachably mountingthe drawer on said inverted guide part.

3. In a drawer construction, means for providing a drawer receivingcompartment and including a bottom wall therefor, a channel shaped guidepart fixedly secured to said bottom wall at its opposite ends only, saidguide part being of a length to extend substantially the entire depth ofsaid drawer compartment and having inwardly directed top edge flangesterminating short of the outer ends of the side of said part to provideopenings, rollers journaled on the front portion of said guide partwithin the channel of the same and projecting partially thereabovethrough the aforementioned flange openings, an inverted channel shapedguide part fitted over the fixed guide part and bearing on said rollers,rollers journaled in the rear portion of said inverted guide part andengageable with the bottom and the flanges of the fixed guide part, adrawer for the compartment resting on the inverted guide part, lugsstruck from and bent at right angles to the top and one side of theinverted guide part, and means on said drawer engageable with said lugsfor detachably connecting the drawer and inverted guide part againstrelative horizontal movement.

MELVIN H. HARMON.

